The Days of Smash
by PoisonedxHearts
Summary: Ike's first day of joining the other worldly training company, known as Super Smash Bros, did not go as well as expected for the young Crimean... CHP6: Dream, dream, dream... IkeMarth.
1. Making Friends

**This is going to have many chapters, i've written up to chapter 8 so far, they just need re-reading/editing/uploading. :)  
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**Ok, so this story comes before For Love or Kingdom, the idea was given to me by Skunkers. It mainly centres around Ike and Marth, other characters will have inputs... as for Falcon, i dont know where that came from! The chapters aren't going to be huge, but hopefully it wont drag. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know i like to improve :)  
If you like it leave a review, i'll be eternally grateful. ENJOY! :D**

**Oh and _italics_ are thoughts, usually Ike's. All in this chapter are Ike's. **

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**Making Friends**

Ike's first day of joining the other worldly training company, known as Super Smash Bros, did not go as well as expected for the young Crimean.

To begin the day he tripped over a round pink thing as he passed through the entrance hall hitting his head on what appeared to be the backside of a giant turtle. Said turtle became enraged, almost burning the hair off Ike's head. That would make enemy number one.

After signing in at the office, seemingly no problems there, he saw two monkeys, obviously very excited to see each other. As he passed them, he noticed a bunch of bananas on a table, making Ike realise how hungry he was. He saw no harm in taking one. Boy was he wrong. The moment his teeth sunk into the gooey yellow flesh, he had a monkey jumping on his back shaking him vigorously. Ike could only think to spin round and try to fling the monkey off. He succeeded, only to turn around and be face to chest with the much larger monkey, _more like an ape_, and have him punch him straight in the face and send him flying backwards spraying banana pieces all over the enraged ape. That makes enemies two and three.

A trip upstairs to check out his room seemed like a good option to Ike. It would also give him a chance to see the damage the ape did to his face. He passed a few people on the stairs, a few stopped to greet him. A girl who clearly liked pink smiled and waved; a guy in green and blue shuffled past giving a nervous glance toward Ike and a small child with a baseball cap went running past, nearly knocking Ike over. He only stopped a few steps from the top when a person in all green started to descend. Ike could only stare. It wasn't every day you saw someone with ears like that! The passing blonde noticed Ike gawking at him, following his gaze realising exactly why he was so intrigued. The boy gasped, pulled his green hat over his ears, gave Ike a look of death and ran off shouting to some woman named Zelda about his ears not looking cute and a blue-haired gorilla being horrified by them. Ike ignored the gorilla comment. Enemy number four.

Thankfully, for Ike his room held no surprises. He rubbed some cream on his slightly bruised nose and thought about taking a walk as he gazed out the window at a vast forest. Realising the sea of green was reminding him of pointy-ears; he made his way out of his room almost bumping into a half naked man in a helmet. He briefly wondered why the man in Spongebob Squarepants boxers was chasing a green lizard-like creature eating Batman pyjamas and screaming about punching a falcon… or something like that, and then thought better of it, it would only result in more enemies.

Ike had made it to the foot of the forest without any more problems. Looking up at the sky as he entered the forest between to giant oak trees, Ike wished he hadn't left his cape and headband on his bed. It was going to rain and judging by the colour of the sky, quite heavily. Could this day get any worse?

Ike travelled through the forest peacefully. He passed a few small rivers, plenty of insects and some wide-open spaces that he thought would be great for training. He settled on some rocks by a mini waterfall, taking a break to think about the happenings of the day so far. It had not been as easy as he had thought; though saying goodbye to the Greil Mercenaries and enduring Mist's tears was not the worst thing he had to deal with. Fire breathers, pink blobs, monkeys and pointy-eared boys were definitely not what Ike had expected to find here. He hoped things would get better, maybe tomorrow will bring some new friends and perhaps someone to train with; the guy with the ears seemed to be the right build for wielding a sword.

It had been raining for some time now, but Ike was far more interested in the waterfall. It was very quiet here, except for the splashing of water, a lot of which were dripping off Ike's wet hair. Deciding it would not do any good to sit here getting wet for too long; Ike made a mental note of where the waterfall was and headed back toward the opening he came through.

The journey back was not so delightful in the pouring rain. Puddles had appeared and Ike's vision was obstructed by soggy blue hair flopping about. He would never leave without his headband again. It was beginning to get darker so Ike walked a little faster, concentrating on his feet so as not to trip on any stray braches or roots.

There were strange noises nearby, almost as if something else were moving alongside him. He stopped and looked all round. However, he saw nothing but trees and his own hair again. There was definitely something else there though. With the speed of his heart increasing Ike started to jog. Not the best plan he ever had. As he was reaching the clearing, he tripped on a root sending himself flying into a puddle of mud. _Crap, _he thought, _now I need to shower. _

"You moron!" Came a voice from behind.

Ike nearly screamed. He turned to see where the voice had come from. Standing to his right, slightly behind him was a boy, a little younger looking than himself, though Ike often found it hard to judge a persons age.

The boy had, in Ike's opinion, incredibly beautiful blue hair that, much like his own, was rain soaked and flopping about his face. Atop his wet hair sat a crown, which somehow still shimmered in the murky light. The boy had wrapped himself in a blue cape, reminding Ike again to keep his on him. The boy's cape was covered in mud. Ike figured he must have fallen like himself. Ike then glanced at the boys face. Anger covered it, it looked as though the Prince (Ike had assumed from the crown) was about ready to slice Ike's head clean off. Well… he would have been had he been carrying a sword.

Ike's mind was telling him to get up and run for it, but still Ike laid there, eyes fully focused on the angry pair that stared back. Like the boy's crown, his eyes shone brightly though the light was still dim. Ike was mesmerised, not even bothering to think about why the boy could possibly be so angry, let alone thinking about moving.

After what seemed like an eternity, the young boy spoke.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?!" Ike flinched, his gaze finally dropping. "I cleaned this cape just this morning!" The boy continued. "Now you come bursting out of the forest, jumping into a puddle covering me with muddy water! What do you have to say for yourself? Who the hell are you anyway?"

"I… I fell…" Ike stammered.

"You fell? So you are a clumsy moron then?"

Ike sat there, dumbfounded. He felt intimidated by the small boy. _What's going on? This boy is tiny compared to me, I'm sure I could knock him out with a light punch. Why can't I think to defend myself? Why am I stammering?_

"Did your parents not teach you manners? Apologise." The boy continued to shout.

At the mention of his parents something inside Ike snapped. He rose, seeing the boy back off slightly at realising Ike's true size.

"Don't you dare talk about my family." He began. "Don't you dare… I am not apologising for falling, especially not to the likes of you. You stuck up little… Prince." Ike was a little slow on insults.

Both boys were now boiling with anger, just about ready to explode. Ike, still thinking of what to do next, was caught by surprise when a hand connected with his face. Holding his cheek, he stared at the Prince.

"It's Prince Marth of Altea to you, moron."

Marth shoved past Ike, exiting the forest past the Old Oak Trees. Ike, still in thought decided to follow him out.

It was best and only idea Ike had. He ran up to Marth, now past the clearing and shoved his back so hard he hit the floor face first.

"I'm Ike… moron."

Whether he had heard though, Ike did not know. He was pretty sure that Marth was now unconscious.

Ike made his way up to his room to shower in hope to release some anger.

_That makes enemy number five. _He thought. _At least I know his name though… Marth. _


	2. Towels and Bags

**It always looks so much smaller on here... Chapters will get longer as we go along and other characters will begin to get involved. I think Ike's trying to get on Marth's bad side... tut tut. Please let me know if you have any suggestions on ways to improve. The story is for you to read, so i wanna make you all enjoy it! :D**

Oh! Ike uses bad language. Prepare yourself....!

**Thanks to IlikeYuki for reviewing :) **

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**Towels and Bags  
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Ike wasn't always the best man for ideas, but things usually had a way of working out for the young warrior. Therefore, jumping into the shower after throwing his wet clothes into the wash basket would never seem to Ike to be a bad idea.

Ike stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around his waist as he left his bathroom. He looked around his newly acquired room; it was far nicer than what he was used to. There was a comfortable looking blue sofa on one side of the room with plenty of cushions covered in the softest fabric Ike had ever felt. Opposite the sofa sat a large black box on top of a wooden table. The box intrigued Ike with its many little buttons and glass window. He wasn't quite sure what was he was supposed to be seeing through the window though. He placed his face close to the glass hoping to see something, he wondered if he needed to push one of the many buttons first, though he had no clue which one to test with. _I'll try it out later, _he thought; _maybe somebody else knows how to use it_. There was a small set of drawers near the sofa. Ike supposed this could be somewhere to put photos and odd bits and pieces. A camera was something that he was not too useful with, but still he wished to display pictures of his friends and family who he was beginning to miss. A large set of glass doors stood between two small windows. Ike had always wanted a balcony. The view from the windows was beautiful, the forest was such a luxurious green, he could see for miles. Mountains surrounded the forest, though they were not overly huge he could not see past them. Ike wondered what was beyond this wonderful place, perhaps one day he will venture past the forest. The bed he now sat on was a vast size, surely big enough for two; it was also incredibly soft. The pillows were covered in the same fabric as the cushions and felt just as amazing to lie on. He could not wait to fall asleep later. The last thing he looked at was a large wardrobe, it's oak doors reached the ceiling, seemingly looming over Ike as he looked at the intricate details carved into the wooden doors.

Ike figured it was time to unpack his bags and get dressed. Realisation suddenly dawned on him.

"Where the hell are my bags?"

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The short and cheerful Mushroom Kingdom resident was just finishing closing the reception for the day when he heard someone stomping in his direction.

"Hey!"

Toad turned to see the newest competitor coming down the corridor in nothing but a towel. He had signed him in just this morning thinking that he would make an exceptional asset to the company.

"Hey, you," Ike continued to shout. "Where the hell have you put my bags? You said you were going to send them to my room."

"Mister Ike, we did, but you see…" Toad tried to explain to the angry young man.

"Well, they're not there!"

"Yes, you see the Goombas…" Toad attempted to explain again.

"Yes? So you know they're not in my room. Where are they? I need my clothes!"

"Oh dear lord," Came a voice from behind.

Ike turned to see a thoroughly annoyed looking Marth standing with some small brown creatures. Ike noticed the bandage across his nose and let out a not-so-manly giggle. Marth raised both eyebrows at the noise.

"What happened to your nose, Prince?" Ike felt the need to ask.

Marth narrowed his eyebrows. "What happened to yours?"

Ike rubbed the bridge of his nose. He had almost forgotten about his encounter with the ape.

"Monkey." He said simply.

Marth rolled his eyes. "You met Donkey Kong then." He turned to address the small receptionist, "Toad, sorry to bother you at this hour, but I have just returned to my room after visiting the doctor," he glanced at Ike, who just shrugged. "The Goombas here were trying to explain why there are bags and a large sword in my room belonging to, so the label tells me, someone named Ike."

"You have my bags?"

Marth looked a little shocked, not expecting the answer to come from his new acquaintance.

"So you are Ike?"

"I did tell you earlier, but I guess you must have been unconscious." Ike smirked. Marth chose to ignore the comment.

"How did this happen, Toad?" Marth grumbled in annoyance.

"I'm very sorry Prince Marth, Mister Ike. But the Goombas got a little confused. This one had just come back to tell me the problem before you came down Mister Ike. They couldn't enter your room and decided that because your hair is blue, you must be related to Prince Marth." Ike almost choked. "So they have just finished dropping them off in you room Prince Marth. I apologise for the mix up. Shall I send them back to move them for you?"

Ike pondered for a second. "Nah, I'll grab 'em myself. Show me the way Prince Marthy."

"It's Marth." Growled the Prince stalking off in the direction he came. He massaged the sides of his head hoping to ignore Ike's incompetence, though he was sure that would not happen. Today had not been the best day for the young Prince.

"Whatever. Uh, sorry for shouting Toad, I guess I just had a few too many annoyances today. Maybe I need an anger management class…"

Toad bowed accepting the apology.

Ike turned and followed Marth as quickly as he could in just a towel. They passed Ike's room and went up a flight of stairs. Ike figured out that Marth's room was directly above his. _Perhaps I'll throw some things at the ceiling._

Marth opened his door and sure enough, all of Ike's belongings were by Marth's bed. Ike stopped momentarily to look around Marth's room; it seemed to be very similar to his. However, he did not take in too much detail as he could feel the cold eyes of Marth boring into the back of his head. Deciding not to anger the Prince further, Ike walked over to the collection of bags, shouldered the largest and heaved his sword Ragnell onto the other holding it steady.

Marth was by the door watching him trying to pick up everything and fail. He thought Ike could do with a hand, but didn't move to help. He suppressed his laughter as a question popped into his mind.

"So why are you wearing just a towel?"

Ike turned dropping a small bag. "Crap." He muttered. "I showered, is that not something Princes do?"

"Clearly," Marth replied rolling his eyes. "Did you not think to pick out a change of clothes before undressing?"

"I was told my bags would be brought up for me, I was going to dress in my room, and I have no problem walking out of my bathroom naked." Ike said still struggling with all his belongings. When had he acquired so many items? Moreover, how did the little brown creatures manage to carry them all?

"Just as long as you don't venture onto the balcony naked." Marth muttered to himself.

Ike's largest bag slipped from his shoulder almost pulling his towel with it. Luckily, Ike could react quickly when he needed to. He looked up to see Marth trying not to laugh.

Blushing slightly Ike asked, "You think you could give me a hand carrying all of these down to my room?"

Marth huffed, he wanted to take a shower too and that would not happen until Ike was out of the way.

"As long as I don't have to carry that towel." Marth proceeded to lift the smallest two bags.

"You wish." Ike whispered.

They made their way downstairs in silence, passing only a man in torn Batman pyjamas that Ike recognised to be the one chasing the green thing earlier. _Looks like he caught it._

"Evening Marth, new friend?"

"Good evening Captain Falcon. No, not a friend. This is Ike… he is a moron."

Ike nodded with a smile in the direction of the Captain as they continued to Ike's room. Captain Falcon watched them carry on down the corridor wondering if perhaps this could be Marth's new friend, he obviously denied it, but Falcon knew how Marth's mind worked.

Marth dropped the bags at Ike's bed and turned to leave.

"Uh… Marth," Marth stopped in the doorway but did not turn. He did not wish to look at the mercenary, especially when he was wearing only a towel, which seemed a little too revealing to do any good.

"Thanks… I guess." Ike muttered absentmindedly.

Marth hesitated mid turn, sighed and walked off to his room without a word. Ike stared at the door for a little while; that Prince confused him and he really did not like it.

Sitting on his bed, he decided he wasn't very hungry, so he skipped dinner, sorted out his belongings and slipped into bed. He decided he would play with the buttons on the box another day.

_What a stuck up little bastard. _Ike thought as he drifted off to sleep. _I thanked him and he's still rude to me. Maybe I should have apologised for hurting him… he did deserve it though. Stupid royal, thinking he's better than me just because he was born into a family of wealth and stature. He knows nothing of manners though. Hmph… I need to just forget about it and get some sleep. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. _

Ike fell quickly to sleep, though the thoughts of Marth still lingered.

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Thanks for reading :) Tell me what you think!


	3. The Dating Game

**Thank you IlikeYuki and BunnyFleur for the reviews. And anybody that has favourited it :) Lacking on reviews i guess, but i'm glad somebody likes it. **

**This chapter is a bit longer... YEY. It's more Marth-centered, hopefully shows a little more about his life. Other Brawlers become involved. What about Ike? He's there... floating around.  
Couldn't think up a decent name for this chapter though. **

**Reviews are nice. Makes me want to write more... I'm stuck on chapter 10... :( anyway... ENJOY! :)**

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**The Dating Game**

Marth found it hard to sleep that night; his thoughts were resting on the man he had met earlier that day, he was finding it very difficult to remove the image of his new acquaintance from his sleepy head. The scruffy blue-haired oaf had almost broken his nose, leaving him unconscious and face down in the rain. He then had the audacity to act as if it had been no big deal, like knocking a stranger unconscious happened all the time. After seeing him strut around in just a towel, Marth had decided to keep well away, but the thought of how Ike had said '_thanks' _after Marth helped carry his bags to his room remained firmly planted in the young Prince's mind.

Marth was frustrated, to say the least. He thought of himself to be quite good at making friends, though he had few that he would call 'close' seeing as he was rather picky about whom he became friends with. However, with this man, Ike, he could see no friendship whatsoever. He was a common lowlife thug, which Marth wanted absolutely nothing to do with. Still, he could not shift the man from his thoughts as he drifted off to sleep.

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The partially refreshed Altean Prince made his way down to breakfast the next morning feeling a little groggy after such an uncomfortable night. He joined the queue behind a grumpy looking Metaknight, grabbed some juice and a couple of pieces of toast and made his way over to his usual table where Link and Zelda were already eating. Zelda looked up as Marth plonked himself down taking a huge gulp of juice.

"Marth, you look like you haven't slept, and what happened to your nose?" The Princess asked, noticing the slight darkness that had appeared under the Prince's eyes and the purple lump on the bridge of his nose.

Marth sighed, "I had a little accident yesterday and no, I did not sleep well." At the look on Zelda's face Marth added, "But there is no need to worry; this juice always wakes me up." He chuckled as he took another sip; apple juice really was refreshing.

Marth glanced at the blonde man opposite him as he took a bit of his toast.

"Link… why are you wearing your hat so low?" He questioned.

Link slowly lifted his head, looking carefully around the Great Hall before he even thought about answering Marth's question. His hat had been pulled over his head so that his ears were completely covered and only a few tufts of hair stuck out the bottom. He pushed his hat up slightly so that it did not fall over his eyes as he looked across at Marth and spoke.

"Have you seen the new guy?" he asked slowly.

Marth jumped a little at the question, memories of his encounters with Ike flooding back to him.

"Why?" was all he managed to say.

"Well, I saw him yesterday as I was on my way to meet Zelda. We passed on the stairs and he stared at my ears like they were some sort of horrible monster!" Link exclaimed putting his hands on the sides of his head as though it would protect his beloved ears. "Like he was so perfect, his hair was scruffier than mine! It's not as if I can help the way I was born and I don't really care if he has a problem, I just don't want him to stare at me. I hope I don't see him again any time soon."

"Same here," Marth replied.

"You've met him Marth?" Zelda asked with a slight hint of excitement in her voice.

"Unfortunately, yes." Marth said with a sigh. "There was a slight mix up with his bags; they ended up in my room somehow so I gave him a hand taking them to his. It looks like he hoards a load of junk." He purposely left out the story of the forest incident. He did not want to appear weaker than the new guy. He was sure Zelda would accept that his bruised nose was purely an accident.

"What did you think of him? I haven't seen him so all I have to go by is Link's opinion… which isn't very promising." Zelda said patting the young Hylian on the head.

"He is a moron." Marth said quite simply.

"He looked like a sweetheart to me." Marth turned to see Princess Peach placing her porridge on the table and taking the seat next to him, Mario following close behind.

"I passed him on the stairs yesterday, just before you came hurtling past me Link."

Link sank a little lower in his chair. His memory of Ike about as pleasant as Marth's. "Mario and I heard about the new arrival from Master Hand, he gave us a fair bit of information about him. Mario likes to know what types of people are joining us you see." Peach finished with a wide smile directed at her beloved plumber.

"Yes that's right; Master Hand says he's a mercenary from Crimea… from the Fire Emblem realm like you Marth." Mario added thinking this bit of knowledge would put a smile on Marth's face.

Marth however, nearly choked on his toast. "That idiot represents the same realm as me?"

Marth could feel his anger boiling again. _A mercenary?_ He knew he could not be someone of any importance, especially with that hair. Just a stupid ranger lacking in experience, well that was no real threat to Marth, he did not need to worry about making friends with someone like that.

"Maybe you could get to know him better Marth, if you catch my drift." Peach said with a wink.

"NO!" Marth practically shouted as Peach and Zelda giggled at the outburst.

He thought about the times Peach had tried to set him up on a date, why he had agreed to let her help him in the first place still puzzled the Prince. Peach was not one to take no for an answer though, so Marth had ended up in a few situations that made him feel very uncomfortable. Remembering these times always made him shudder. Samus was not a good person to date. She was fussy about her food, not interested in any of Marth's conversational attempts and drank far too much beer for his liking, though they had made a strong friendship nothing more would ever come from that date. Jigglypuff was a terrible idea. What Peach was thinking that day was beyond Marth, the little pink blob barely reached Marth's thigh, not to mention it isn't human! Waking up alone in a pub covered in pen after a karaoke night was not the way Marth envisioned meeting his true love. Then there was Captain Falcon. That was never going to work. It wasn't that Marth had any problem with dating a man (he remembered the time two of his friends Abel and Cain took him on a double date with a very reluctant Nabarl.) it was that Captain Falcon had turned up wearing a Fantastic Four t-shirt and offered to show him his matching pyjamas! Marth shuddered at the thought of the Captain's pyjama hoard.

"Oh come on Marth, there's no other girl here you will date and you said yourself you don't mind dating men. So why not date this Ike guy? You're from the same realm; surely you have something in common, right?"

"The only thing that is common is Ike himself. Trust me Peach, he is not my type."

"Besides Peach," Zelda started, "How do we know the new guy is gay? We all thought Roy was gay, but he wasn't the slightest bit interested in dating his best friend here."

"And as much as I love Roy," Marth added, "I could never date someone so scatty!"

Everybody laughed at the fond memories of the young red head. Marth dearly missed his hyperactive best friend and all his silly jokes and pranks. All the times they spent running round the mansion laughing and having fun, the trips to the forest to train, relax and talk about their lives back home. Marth always loved Roy's stories. He laughed at remembering the time they figured out what a television was and to never touch it without Fox's help and the way he would always put a smile on Marth's face even when he had been the one to anger him in the first place. He was exactly the type of friend Marth had needed, they were opposites, but complimented each other perfectly. He was sure he would never find a friend like that again. He had known Roy wasn't gay, but Peach and Zelda still insisted on asking the little red head only to have him burst into fits of giggles. It wasn't as if Marth was interested in him though, he was more than happy to have him as his best friend, and that is what he will always be. Marth remembered the day Roy had to leave. He wanted to return to his family and his country it was difficult to be away for so long. Marth understood but still felt like he had lost the best friend that he was ever going to have. He wrote often, but Marth still hoped he would visit.

Marth was so lost in thought that he didn't notice the new arrival to the table until Peach let out a giggled "Hello."

"Hey… uh, do you guys mind if I eat here? I don't really know anybody and well, you all look pretty normal compared to the other tables, I mean… monkeys? That's a little too weird for me… and I don't think I even want to know what that thing is… and wow… I think I'll keep away from them too…"

Ike continued to babble until Peach spoke, "Of course you can dear, take a seat."

Ike plonked himself down next to Zelda, not bothering to look in Marth's direction. Marth however, had not removed his eyes from Ike, hatred clearly etched across his face.

Peach started the introductions. "I'm Peach and this is Mario, we're dating." Mario shook Ike's hand. "This is Zelda and Link." Zelda smiled politely whilst Link tried his hardest to hide behind her.

"Oh, Link. Stop hiding. I'm sure he doesn't hate your ears. They're just like mine and I'm not hiding them."

"You think I hate them? Crap." Ike said as he realised the man trying to hide was the little pointy eared boy he had stared at on the stairs. "Sorry, it was just a little shocking to see ears like that in a place like this, I wasn't expecting it from someone so Beorc looking, it was just strange… not quite as strange as those things though." Ike said pointing in the direction of Fox and Falco. Link peered round Zelda to get a better look at Ike, he wanted to accept the apology, but had a question to ask first.

"What's a Beorc?"

"Oh, sorry, it just means human. I just got used to saying Beorc." Ike shrugged.

"In that case apology accepted. Nice to meet you… um…?"

"Oh sorry, I'm Ike. Nice to meet you all." He finally shot a quick glance at Marth who remained staring at the Crimean looking as if he was thinking screwing his eyes up any more would make Ike's head explode.

"Oh, I hear you've already met Marth." Peach added, nudging Marth in the ribs. The boy continued to stare nonetheless.

"Yeah," Ike said, the happy tone clearly dropping. "We've met."

Ike momentarily forgot about his breakfast and stared back at the Prince. He figured Marth was yet to forgive him for the nose injury.

After what seemed like a lifetime of staring, Link broke the silence.

"Ike… seeing as you're new, how about testing your skills against me?"

Ike forced himself to turn away from the still glaring Prince. "A brawl? Sounds good. I'm guessing you're a swordsman too, you've got the look for it."

Link nodded. "I'll go set it up. I want to see all your techniques, so no holding back."

"Ha, no holding back? You've got it. I wouldn't go easy on my best friend." Ike replied with a cocky smile. He decided he liked the little man in green.

Link looked excited at the prospect of a new swordsman to battle with, he hoped Ike would live up to his expectations.

Marth was forced to relieve his stare, as Ike (completely forgetting about breakfast) and a very energetic Link went off to find an arena. Zelda brought Marth back to reality.

"We could go watch if you like Marth. You can continue to stare at him then."

Peach giggled. "Oh, Marth. He seems very nice. I think you should give him a chance."

Marth took his last gulp of juice.

"He is rather handsome." Zelda added. Marth covered his mouth to stop from spraying juice over the Princess.

"What? That's not why I was staring!" He shouted at the giggling Princesses whilst turning a light shade of red. "He just… he… well he doesn't belong with us. I mean, he's a mercenary. I was hoping he would see how much I hate him and leave. Damn Crimean."

Mario, Peach and Zelda looked unconvinced. Marth sighed; realising the only way out of this would be to confess to what really happened to his nose, thus showing weakness. It was either that or they would start getting ideas that Marth actually liked Ike, which he most certainly did not. It may also get Peach off his back about dating the scruffy young newcomer. Marth took a deep breath.

"It's his fault that my nose has this huge bump on it." His audience looked shocked and a little confused. He continued, "I was in the forest yesterday afternoon, just as it started raining. I wanted to take a walk to relax, I told you about that letter I received, well I was a bit angry and upset about it so I walked around where Roy and I used to. I headed back after it began to rain and as I reached the clearing that moron comes flying out of nowhere and jumps into a puddle covering my freshly washed cape in mud and you know how long it takes me to clean it. We argued, so I left after he insulted me too many times. I walked back towards the mansion so, I'm there minding my own business, trying to forget about the idiot when he comes running up behind me and shoves me to the ground knocking me unconscious. Luckily, it wasn't for too long and I managed to get myself to the doctor. Thankfully, my nose is only bruised, it will just be sore for a while. There you go." He finished saying, "He made me look weak and insulted me. That's why I hate him."

Zelda was the first to respond.

"Did he apologise?"

"No."

"Have you spoken to him about it?"

"Not really."

"Did you say something that hurt him Marth?"

"What makes you think that? Why do you think _I_ did something wrong?"

"We know you dear." Peach said patting him on the arm. "You can get frustrated quite easily, especially when you have a lot on your mind. Now come on, let us go watch the boys play. Maybe you can speak to him afterwards and _you_ can apologise for whatever it is you said to him."

Marth huffed. "Fine, but don't even think about setting us up. He is _not_ my type."

Peach and Zelda giggled as the four made their way to watch Link and Ike's brawl. Marth knew Peach was planning something. He made a mental note to keep her as far away from Ike as possible. He did not intend to apologise to Ike, but it would not hurt to be civil, it's not as if he could avoid him forever. The mansion was big, but not _that_ big!

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**Thanks for reading! :) **

**Next time:  
Ike and Link get to know eachother.  
A clash of swords.  
A little accident.  
A zip in the wrong place.  
And a stupid comment from Ike :)  
**


	4. Vanilla and Honey

**Thank you vulpette, IlikeYuki and mysteriousmystery for reviewing :) Much appreciated.**

Updating quicker. Yey. I like this chapter, one of my favourites. By the way, i dont like honey, but it sounded like a good combination.  
There seems to be a lot of Link in this chapter... hmm.  


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**Vanilla and Honey**

Ike and Link had decided on having their brawl at the Pokémon Stadium. Whilst they retrieved their swords, Link explained how that particular arena worked with the different elements and constant changes. Ike thought a changing stage would be a good challenge for his first brawl, he wasn't one for taking the easy option. Link was just excited to see what he could learn from Ike, he was bound to know techniques that Link had never seen before. Both boys were finding it hard to contain their excitement. Ike was glad that Link had seemingly forgiven him for the incident on the stairs; he could feel a friendship forming already. At least he had made one friend.

They entered the arena and Link went over the rules before they began warming up. Stretching his arms Link decided to make conversation before beginning the brawl.

"So Ike, why was Marth so busy staring at you? You haven't pissed him of already have you?"

"Not intentionally. The snotty little Prince can't understand the meaning of an accident." At the confused look on Link's face Ike explained, "I accidentally splashed him with muddy water and it turned into a full on argument."

"Really? Marth is a decent person though, I'm sure he would accept an apology, unless he was in a bad mood of course."

Ike scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, well I also kind of knocked him out after that… it was an accident too! Well, I meant to push him, but I never meant for him to hit his head… at least not that hard anyway."

Ike dropped his head, feeling a little ashamed. It was not his intention to make so many enemies on the first day, especially not with a Prince. Ike had even considered making him his first friend here, until Marth opened his mouth and started the arguing that is.

"I guess that's why he hates me. I don't see him forgiving me."

"Give him some time. It took Marth a while to make friends here. For a long time he would only talk to Roy; they were best friends. Unfortunately, Roy had to leave a little while ago, and Marth was really upset, we all were. Anyway, Zelda and I started making conversation with him and with a little help from Roy, he conversed with us, now we are all good friends. Many people find it hard to talk with him, but just give it some time Ike, Marth is not as forgiving as some people. I get the feeling the two of you will find a way to connect." Link smiled, "Come on, lets brawl. Show me what you've got!"

"Allright lets go. This'll take my mind off Marth." Ike stood up feeling eager to show of his skills with a sword.

The two swordsmen prepared themselves on either side of the stage, Link giving the signal that they were good to go. A loud voice boomed overhead,

"Ready? Go!"

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There was a loud clash of metal as Mario, Peach, Zelda and Marth entered the arena taking their seats around the stadium. The action in front of them was intense; Marth could not keep his eyes off the fight. He was curious to see how Ike battled; he had already assumed he lacked speed due to the size of his sword. Therefore, Marth was shocked to see Ike take a sudden sprint across the stage slashing at Link's chest. Though Ike was fast when he needed to be, he could quite obviously not maintain this level of speed throughout the entire brawl. Marth laughed a little as he noticed so many flaws in Ike's fighting style; the brut strength could easily be countered by agility. _I could beat him. _

Ike was having fun. He hadn't enjoyed training this much since the time Soren picked up a sword… though the fun in that was for a very different reason. Link was fast, keeping Ike on his toes and having to look around a lot. He caught sight of the spectators; he would normally have paid no heed to them if it had not been for Marth staring so intently. His gaze was fixed upon Ike's movements, which had slowed to a near stop. He didn't look angry anymore, though happy was not a word Ike would have used either. However, he had obviously found something interesting in the mercenary. Ike smiled as he stared back at Marth, feeling that there may be a slim chance of a friendship between them yet. Not that he was overly concerned about being friends with the Prince, he just felt that Marth could do with someone like him in that stuck up life of his, someone to pull him into reality and show him not everybody is perfect. That was Ike's excuse for wanting to get to know Marth anyway.

A sudden wave of confusion washed over Ike as Marth's expression turned into one of shock and fear. Ike's confusion only lasted a split second as the Master Sword came crashing down on the back of his head. _Damn Prince.  
_

* * *

_Vanilla. Vanilla and honey. I love those smells. Whenever I got the chance to have a quiet bath without Mist shouting through the door for me to hurry up, I would light a vanilla scented candle and munch on some delicious homemade honey whilst soaking away all my troubles. That is the true way to relax, especially after a long hard day of fighting. The smell of the two together is something truly beautiful, the perfect blend. I can smell those heavenly scents right now. Wait… why can I smell them? _

Ike slowly opened his eyes, a little unsure on where he was. Definitely not the bathroom he had been thinking about, of that he was sure. All he could see was a blur of blue as his eyes adjusted.

"Marth move back. You're close enough to suffocate him with your hair!" That was Zelda speaking… or shouting rather.

"He's breathing." Marth. That was Marth's voice. The mass of blue moved from Ike's line of sight. He blinked a couple of times, Marth was there leaning over him, looking ever so slightly concerned.

Ike smiled, "Hi Marth."

Marth sighed. "Link knocks you out and all you can say is 'hi'?"

Zelda chuckled, "I think that's Marth's way of saying he's glad you're ok." Marth shot Zelda a disapproving glare, he could not care less if the mercenary was ok or not, he just didn't want Link to be worrying over what happened.

Ike sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Peach and Mario sat nearby with a traumatised looking Link. Zelda was standing by Ike's legs looking satisfied that he was ok. Marth was sat a little too close for Ike's liking. He gave him a playful push to get some distance between them. Marth was clearly more concerned than he was letting on.

"Were you that worried about me Marthy?"

Marth's troubled look vanished. "Hmph. Well next time I'll just leave you to die." He said as he got up and walked over to Zelda, not looking back at Ike.

"Ike," said boy turned to look at Link. "I'm so sorry, I honestly thought you could dodge that blow or at least take the hit a bit better."

"It's no problem Link." Ike waved a hand at the troubled looking Hylian. "It's my own fault. I… uh, got distracted." He shot a quick glance at Marth. Hoping the others didn't notice he quickly added, "I should have been paying more attention to you, you're really good."

Link smiled as Peach stood.

"I think you should go up to the hospital wing to get checked over, just in case there's any lasting injury to worry about. We'll all come up with you dear."

They made there way to the top floor of the mansion, stopping only so Ike could place Ragnell in his room. He found this a strange place to have the hospital wing. _What if someone breaks a leg? Would they be dragged up here?_

They entered into a spacious white room filled with beds of all different shapes and sizes, clearly ready for an injury to every competitor. Ike looked around taking in the details of the room as this was his first time here, though he had a feeling that he would be visiting often. He noticed paintings on the walls, clearly put there for patients spending more than five minutes here. They were filled with vibrant colours and huge brush strokes, some depicting people he had met in the mansion already, the painting of the monkey stood out to Ike. They were very beautiful to view, any patient here would feel instantly uplifted. He wondered if perhaps the children he saw earlier had made them, they all had child-like qualities to them. _Maybe it was the monkeys. _His gaze joined that of his friends, stopping on a figure sitting on the bed farthest from them. Captain Falcon sat there in a pair of jeans and a superman pyjama top. _I guess the Batman one was too ripped to wear. _The six just stared at the Captain.

"I… uh… I got my… thing… stuck in the zipper…" Falcon admitted, his cheeks turning bright red.

The doctor came bundling out of a door behind Falcon, pushing a tube of some sorts into his hands.

"Use this ointment until the swelling goes down." he said shaking his head, it wasn't the first time he had to deal with the Captains stupidity.

After Falcon had left the doctor turned to see his next patients.

Ike was dumbfounded. The doctor looked exactly like the short, stumpy man standing beside Peach. Were they twins? Ike was confused.

"Ah, Mario, Peach and friends. Marth! How is your nose?" The doctor said recognising the injury he had previously attended to.

"Much better, thank you."

Peach spoke before the doctor could start fussing over Marth. He seemed to have decided a long time ago that Marth was rather weak and needed constant looking after.

"Doctor Mario, this is Ike." She said dragging the boy forward. "He had a nasty blow to the head whilst training with Link. I suggested he come by just to get checked over, is that ok?"

The doctor smiled, "Of course! Sit my boy."

Ike jumped onto a bed, feeling a little nervous. The doctor even had the same name as the man in blue overalls.

"I'll just have to get some paperwork on you first; you may have a condition that I need to know about." He went to his office and returned with a large folder with Ike's name across the top. Ike wondered where the doctor had managed to get all the information on him from, it was not a small folder. Perhaps Mist had sent all of Ike's details forward. She was very helpful.

"OH!" Peach suddenly exclaimed, causing the doctor to drop his papers and scramble around trying to pick them up.

"Oh Ike, sorry. Mario and I must go. We made plans to brawl with Luigi and Samus this afternoon." Ike nodded as she turned to Mario. "Come on dear."

"On my way my Peach. I'll stop by later father."

_So that's why they look so similar. _Ike thought.

"Of course my boy. And tell Luigi to come by too, I haven't seen him for so long."

Mario and Peach said their goodbyes and left the room. Doctor Mario seemed to have finished reading Ike's information and started pressing fingers into the back of his head. Ike winced. Marth laughed. Link suddenly became queasy.

"Oh, not again." Zelda sighed. "Sorry Ike, Link doesn't cope too well in hospitals. Not since he got his head stuck in the railings on the stairs and had to spend a week in here whilst they tried to remove it." Link's knees nearly gave way as Zelda wrapped her arm around the small boy. "Serves you right for listening to Ness and the Ice Climbers. Thinking you could squeeze through. Honestly Link, I don't know what you'd do without me sometimes."

"Zelda, take Link to get some air. I'll stay with the idiot." Marth said crossing his arms and not looking too frilled about being the only one left with Ike, though stabilising Link was a top priority and Zelda was far more suited for carrying him.

"Thank you Marth." Zelda took a quick look at Ike before dragging Link off. A smile spread across her face as she saw that he was staring at Marth, and not in an angry way even with the 'idiot' insult. Perhaps she would have a word with Peach later.

"Well Ike," the doctor began not even acknowledging Link and Zelda's departure. "I can see no severe damage, just take it easy. If it hurts, put some ice on it for a while. I'm sure Marth will look after you."

Both boys scoffed at the idea. Doctor Mario paid no attention to it and wandered off to his office again mumbling about incompetent muscle men.

Marth now feeling sure that Ike was going to be fine, turned to leave, but Ike grabbed his arm pulling him back toward him.

"Marth, thank you." Marth slowly looked up at Ike, feeling a little stunned at the sincerity in his voice. "For making sure I was ok." Ike continued, "Though I'm sure you would have loved to have been the one to knock me out."

Marth smirked as Ike let his arm go. "Maybe another day. For now though, you're welcome Ike."

Marth turned and reached the exit just as Ike blurted out,

"Your hair smells amazing."

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Reviews make me smile and i need them! Grrrah. :)

**Next time:  
Marth's reaction to Ike's words.  
Some memories.  
And more of Ike's stupidity.**


	5. A Change of Heart?

**Ooh, aren't i getting quicker? :)**

**This _was_ one of my least favourite chapters, it was about half the length in the first draft, but i added loads and now i like it :)  
****This chapter switches between Marth and Ike's POV. Actually most chapters probably do, but i only really noticed it here... As always thank you to the reviewers! :D Have a chocolate cake!**

**Once i get some more time, i may do some drawings to go with each chapter. i have drawings at the end in the book i originally wrote this story in, so i might redraw them. If anyone is interested in that, let me know and i'll send you to the wonderful world of DeviantArt. For now, enjoy this chapter! OH! And if anyone has suggestions, ideas or anything they think should be changed/added, please let me know. I wanna make you all enjoy reading. **

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**A Change Of Heart?**

Ike was frozen to the spot, his mind racing. What had he said that for? _Your hair smells amazing._ The words echoed though his mind whilst the faint smell of vanilla and honey lingered at the tip of his nose. What was he thinking? If Marth didn't hate him already, he would now. That had to be the gayest comment Ike had ever made. The Prince would surely feel insulted. Ike thought about making a run for it, but with Marth blocking the only exit that would mean having to pass him directly and making eye contact was something that Ike wanted to completely avoid right now. The only thing left to do was wait for the reaction from the little blue haired Prince; surely, this had not helped their chances for friendship. Ike braced himself for an explosion of anger as he stared intently at the back of Marth's head.

Marth's legs stopped working, he couldn't bring himself to move forward. All he could do was stare down the empty hallway that he had been about to walk down. His mind was full of confusion. _Did Ike just comment on my hair? _His hair was one thing that Marth was incredibly proud of, he always put much effort into making it look as best he could, even if it was only to please himself. He was always stocked up with the most expensive and luxurious shampoo he could lay his hands on. Every one of his friends knew how long he would spend in front of the mirror making sure every strand was perfect, but for someone to actually pay him a compliment for all the effort, albeit for the smell, was a rare occurrence. Marth slowly turned to look back at Ike; the boy had not moved. It seemed as though he was looking straight through Marth, obviously he had not meant to air that thought. Marth felt something inside him squirm; he passed it off as hunger pains as he slowly walked towards Ike.

He was not entirely sure why he turned back to Ike; he could easily have carried on walking, just as he did when he took Ike's bags to his room. He didn't _need_ to say anything to Ike… but he wanted to. Perhaps there was a change happening in Ike, a change that could possibly bring them closer to friends.

Marth approached Ike expecting him to react at the closeness of the Prince, but he remained staring, transfixed on the spot at which Marth had been standing moments before. He waved a hand in front of Ike's face to bring him out of the trance. Ike blinked and finally looked down to acknowledge the man before him.

"Thank you." Marth whispered as he looked up at Ike, who still looked to be in a slight trance.

_Thank you. _The words floated around Ike's mind for what felt like hours as he just stared at Marth's face, gazing into the depths of those brilliant blue eyes, getting lost in the sparkles reflecting off the lights above them. He had thanked him, for something so simple. Ike wondered why he had panicked so much after he had said those few little words that no longer seemed so scary. Marth obviously liked to be complimented. Ike didn't want to lose this moment, he wanted to keep Marth happy and make him a friend. _Comment on his eyes, that'll make him happy._ He needed to do something to make this moment complete, but his mind was buzzing like a beehive and he didn't know how well he could form a sentence right now so he continued to stare back at those glimmering eyes in front of him.

Marth was beginning to worry; Ike had not responded for a few minutes now. "Are you ok, Ike?" He asked placing a hand on Ike's forearm hoping to bring him back to reality.

Ike shook his head realising that Marth had been addressing him, "I'm fine, sorry. It's just… I could smell your hair when you were checking if I was ok and… well, it smells nice… really nice… kind of reminds me of home. I guess it was a stupid thing to say… sorry."

Marth smiled. _Perhaps he is not such a barbaric moron after all. _

"Don't be sorry, I said thank you, didn't I? It's nice to have someone other than myself pay attention to my hair, Zelda and Peach are more interested in their own… I guess it's weird for a girl to complement a man on his hair." Marth laughed, he kind of hoped Ike liked more than just the smell.

"Well, I don't think I'm too great with compliments," Ike began. "But it does look incredibly shiny; I wish I could get mine to stay as flat as yours."

Ike lifted his hand; he really wanted to see if Marth's hair felt as silky as it looked. He felt his heart beat speed up as he raised his hand; maybe it wasn't such a good idea to touch Marth's hair. Instead, Ike ran his fingers through his own hair, hoping Marth hadn't realised what he had intended to do. "It really does smell good though."

Marth smiled, Ike wasn't as bad at compliments as he thought. "You said the smell reminds you of home, I would like to hear about your home sometime, Crimea isn't it? I've not heard of it before, but it's in the Realm of the Fire Emblem so I would very much like to hear your countries stories."

Ike was about to reply when he was interrupted by a loud grumbling. He looked down feeling a little embarrassed.

"Perhaps we should get some lunch first." Marth suggested. "You hardly ate this morning and I didn't see you at dinner last night. It's almost lunch time now, you must be starving. Lets go see if we can find Link and Zelda."

Ike followed a smiling Marth out the door thinking about how observant the little Prince was… and why had he noticed Ike's eating habits, or lack thereof. He decided to ignore it; Marth was probably just an observant person. He was right though, Ike was starving. He thought back to the days of lunches with the Greil Mercenaries.

"I'm so hungry I'm beginning to miss my sisters cooking." He moaned.

"You have a sister?" Marth asked, clearly excited by this fact. "Me too. Her name is Elice; she's older than I am. She's ruling Altea whilst I am away."

"My sister is younger, Mist her name is. She often did the cooking, but it wasn't always great. No worse than my attempts though!"

Both boys laughed.

"You miss your home. Am I right Ike?" Marth knew how that felt, he missed Altea dearly and his sister too.

Ike's head dropped a little. "I guess, but it's not like I'm going to be gone forever. Soren and Titania can handle the family whilst I'm not there, so I don't need to worry about them. I know nothing is going to happen to them, they're all safe. It is strange adjusting to this place though. I hope Mist writes soon, I'd love to know what they're all doing without me. Hopefully Boyd kept his word and cut off Shinon's hair whilst he sleeps."

"You would do something like that to a friend?" Marth was a little shocked. Cutting off another's hair seemed quite drastic to the Prince.

"No way… that's why Boyd was going to do it." Ike grinned at the thought of a bald Shinon. "Besides, it's not like Shinon hasn't given me a hard time."

"Surely you mercenaries have enough to worry about without having to avoid each others pranks? And to do something like that just because he gave you a 'hard time' doesn't seem very proper to me." Marth was now feeling a little disgusted at Ike's plans.

"What do you mean by 'you mercenaries'? You say it like every mercenary is exactly the same. We _are_ individuals, believe it or not." Ike did not like the way Marth spoke about mercenaries. "Besides, what would you know about the way we live?"

"Well…" Marth began, "You obviously don't live a well thought out life, seeing as you depend on the money of those who hire you. Living to do as someone else wishes, no matter what they ask, just so you can get money and stay alive does not sound very luxurious to me. There are many well paid jobs out there Ike."

Ike lost all thought of making friends with Marth.

"I'd rather work hard for my money with my family and friends than be a selfish, pretty boy Prince who shows no respect for things he does not understand." Ike could feel his blood begin to boil at the thought of Marth's rather ignorant comments. "How can you criticize the way I live, you know nothing of the pain I've gone through, the people I've lost, the cold nights alone, the days without food. All you do is sit on your throne, ordering people about; you can have anything you want! You don't need to go looking for a job; you don't know what our lives are like Marth." Ike was too far gone to stop now. "Go live a life not knowing what kind of ruffian will attack you next, then come back and judge me, Prince."

Marth stood there taking in all of Ike's words, anger raging inside. How dare this soldier-for-hire talk back to him like that? His eyes no longer shone with the beauty they held in the hospital wing. Marth was fit to burst.

"You think I have an easy life, mercenary?" Marth was practically shouting. He ignored the 'lovers quarrel' comment from a passing Captain Falcon and Wario and continued to release his anger upon Ike. "How dare you assume that my life is full of luxury and happiness. Being royalty is not as easy as it sounds. Do not think for one second that you are the only man to suffer through life. I've been through things that I'm sure are far worse than your simple little mind can even think of. I have worked hard to keep my kingdom alive and my people safe, but I have never lowered myself enough to do someone else's bidding. Altea has been through many tough times, but we have always managed to hold our position. Though, I will not disgrace my kingdom by sharing its history with the likes of you."

Marth shoved Ike's chest, though it did little to move him, and stormed off towards the stairs. He needed to get away, he had to calm down. Turning, he said to Ike,

"I thought maybe the blow to the head had knocked some sense into you, I guess I was wrong. You're still a moron."

Ike was lost for words. He just watched as Marth stomped up a staircase and out of sight. He felt angry, sad, lonely, embarrassed and a little bit guilty. How did they get into that argument? Ike blamed Marth's selfishness, though truthfully it was more likely to be his own stubbornness and argumentativeness. He saw the pain in Marth's eyes as he had begun speaking of suffering. He had been an idiot and just added to Marth's pain. How were they ever going to be friends now?

Ike slowly walked down to the Great Hall, hoping to finally eat something, his stomach was still growling like a bear. He tried to convince himself that it was all Marth's fault that they had argued and for the most part, it worked, though he still felt the guilt of hurting him.

Ike grabbed some food after Kirby had taken a huge plateful, and joined Zelda and a refreshed looking Link and slowly began to eat.

"Feeling better Ike?" Zelda asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Conversing was not something Ike felt like doing, but looking around the hall, he felt the need to ask, "Why are there not so many people here?"

"Because," Zelda began after finishing her sandwich. "Lunch and dinner have a longer time slot than breakfast, so not everyone comes in at the same time. Plus, some people like to eat in the village."

"Village?"

"Yes, village. It's not far from here, walking distance. It's full of shops and restaurants, a lovely place for a break. Link and I eat there occasionally, don't we?"

Link nodded. "It's good for a change every now and then, something different. We were going to go there but we thought we'd wait and see how you were doing."

_Good for a break? I bet that's where Marth will be heading. _

"Say Ike, where's Marth?" Link asked curiously as if he knew what Ike had just been thinking. "He was with you when we left, where did he go?"

Ike sighed; he really did not want to discuss it. "We had another argument."

"Geez!" Zelda giggled. "You two are like a married couple."

"Yeah… well, I don't think we're ever going to be friends." Ike said as he stuffed a sausage roll in his mouth. "Not that I care anyway. Selfish little…" He trailed off.

"You don't care?" Zelda asked. "Then why are you so angry? You obviously care that you argued with him."

"…I don't like arguments." Ike stated.

Zelda and Link laughed, "It bothers you doesn't it?"

"_He_ bothers me."

"And why is that?"

"Because he's annoying. Besides he started it."

"You have a lot to learn about Marth." Zelda said as she put her plate to the side. "If he's arguing with you, he's at least acknowledging you. If he really wanted nothing to do with you he wouldn't give you the time of day."

"So… we could still be…"

Ike was interrupted as Toon Link riding Yoshi came crashing through their table followed by Kirby, who stopped to gulp down the last of Ike's sausage rolls. _I'm still hungry. _He watched as they ran off towards the exit.

"He's only been here two days." Zelda shouted. "Toon Link, come back here!"

Zelda ran off after the little green clad boy. Link and Ike slowly started to move away from the broken table before they were accused of breaking Smash Bros property.

Link sighed. "What an eventful day so far."

Ike nodded. "Yeah, but not exactly for all the right reasons." He let his sadness show thinking of the argument with Marth.

Link knew what was on Ike's mind and voiced his opinion. "I think, though he would clearly deny it, Marth does want to be friends with you Ike."

Ike stared at him; how could he come to that conclusion?

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**REVIEW OR MARTH WILL EAT YOU. :D**

**Next time:  
Marth lets out some anger.  
Falcon asks a question that shocks someone.  
Roy is good for ideas. (Yes, Roy.)  
And Ike swears rather loudly after something bad happens. **

**Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Trick Or Treat?

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**I am so sorry this chapter has taken so long, forgive me? :) I didn't like how this chapter was written, though i like what happens, it just needed expanding and with work, holidays etc it took forever to finish. But it's done! Yey!**

So, thank you to all who have reviewed, apreciate it! :D Have a cookie. yum. Not entirely sure where the chapter title came from... it's not halloween related. This chapter isn't huge, but i like it. I hope the last part makes sense... Oh, and Ike isn't polite, so be warned...

On a seperate note, does anybody know how to get strikethrough to work? There was meant to be a bit in Marth's letter(not important), but i can't get it to work.

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**Trick or Treat?**

Ike and Link chatted happily about their homelands whilst they repaired the table that Toon Link had broken; Master Hand had caught them sneaking away and threatened to take away dessert unless they fixed it. Link spoke of his many adventures around the Kingdom of Hyrule, battles with evil creatures, his fights with Ganondorf, riding with Epona and picnics with Zelda. Ike told Link stories of his life as a mercenary, his family and friends, the journey to save Crimea, the sacrifices and devastation he had suffered and the many strange and wonderful creatures he had met along the way. They seemed to have a lot in common, especially when it came to talking about swords and the hours flew by as they quite easily mended the table. Ike felt happier not thinking about a certain blue-haired Prince and found it great to have someone like Link to talk to.

It took the rest of the afternoon to put the pieces back together and thanks to the boy's efforts, nobody would know that the table had ever been damaged; if only Marth and Ike's friendship could be fixed so easily.

Ike grabbed a plate full of meat, as it was now dinner time and left the Great Hall after Link had gone to find Zelda. He made his way back to his room feeling it would be better to eat there rather than be stuck in the Great Hall all day, and he could avoid seeing Marth. He finished eating and ran a hot bath. Unfortunately, he had not packed any honey or candles but nonetheless he was sure the warm water would relax his muscles and ease away any remaining pain. He hoped the village would sell something suitable in place of the items that he usually stored at home; that would be a trip for tomorrow. The bath was just what he needed to help him relax, all thoughts of Marth washing away down the plug hole. He got out and readied himself for bed, it had only just begun to get dark, but he was feeling sleepy and rest was always a good thing to have plenty of.

It was a beautiful night; the moonlight glistened through the balcony doors. Ike stepped outside to get a bit of air. He gazed at the moon; it reminded him of a glimmering eye with all the stars twinkling in the darkness. He glanced up without really thinking, at the balcony above him. Maybe Marth was outside too. Ike sighed, feeling worse for thinking about the sparkly-eyed Prince. He went back inside and flopped onto his bed, letting sleep take over him.

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Marth was still raging as he dressed for bed, yanking the sleeves of his silky blue pyjamas over his arms. Lunch in the village had not calmed the Prince as much as he had hoped and skipping dinner entirely was not the wisest of moves. Luckily, he kept snacks in his room, an idea given to him by his sometimes-helpful best friend, Roy. He sighed, letting a smile show whilst thinking of the fiery little redhead. What would Roy do in a situation like this? Beat the mercenary to a bloody pulp most likely. Marth laughed at the idea of Roy trying to take out Ike; Roy was strong, but not all that bright, Ike would probably kick his ass. Marth began to wonder about Roy and being a slightly impatient person felt curious to know why he had not heard from him in a while. So, he decided to get out his writing set. Putting pen to paper he wrote;

_Dear Roy,_

_How is life unfolding in Pharae? I do hope you and your family are well. _

_The mansion has been quiet without you, though some of the newcomers may be about to take your place (mainly a younger version of Link, known as Toon Link, he's only been here a couple of days and already wrecked a sofa and his bed.) Doctor Mario has taken on hospital duties full time, I don't think he's overly fond of it, but he seems to like to keep an eye on me. It seems that someone gave him the impression that I cannot look after myself… thank you very much Roy. Oh, and Mewtwo left a week ago… something about being needed in a cave… you know what Pokémon are like. He said he would be sending a replacement though; hopefully it will be another Pokémon that I can play with. It's a shame Pichu had to leave. _

_One of the newcomers is from the Fire Emblem Realm, like us, although he is a mercenary. His name is Ike, from a place called Crimea (have you heard of it?) He arrived yesterday and unfortunately, we have already had our share of arguments. I was in a bad mood when we met and it was probably a silly argument, but I still wanted to give him a chance. Now though, I just feel he has no respect for me, or royalty in general for that matter. He is rough, brash, ignorant, and stupid and I am sure he will bring no good to the name Fire Emblem. However, there was a moment today (he commented on my hair.) when I looked into his eyes and I thought I saw more than just a barbarian wanting to fight. It almost looked like he wanted to be friends, the way his eyes glistened when he spoke to me __confused me. But alas that moment passed and we argued some more, I think he does it purely to anger me. He is so stubborn and thinks only of himself… though he does seem to care for his sister, which I can relate to. Not an ounce of respect for me though. In addition, he has already pushed me over, nearly breaking my nose and he completely covered my cape in mud! You know as well as I do that it takes forever to clean capes. _

_I am sorry Roy; this has turned into a rant. I wonder however, what your thoughts are on this situation, do you have any suggestions? You have always been a great help to me, I just don't know what to do about him. It does not seem that this __hatred with Ike will disappear on its own. And you know how I hate added stress._

_By the way, I heard from my sister. She is doing well and still enjoying being in charge. I wonder if perhaps she will want to keep Altea for herself, ha ha. She said the Altean army are very helpful, Abel and Cain are doing well and Merric is always looking out for her. Apparently, Shiida visits often and always asks if I'm coming home soon… she wrote to me asking that too. Elice wishes you the best too, she is still very fond of you. _

_I do hope you are keeping well, I hope to hear from you soon. If you ever get a chance, please, visit us. _

_I miss you. _

_Prince Marth Lowell of Altea._

Marth folded his letter and placed it in an envelope ready to post tomorrow. He stepped out onto the balcony, deciding to get some fresh air before retiring for the night. The fresh breeze felt wonderful against Marth's silky smooth skin. He gazed up into the sky, trying his hardest not to think about the Crimean in the room below. He lent slightly over the edge of the balcony, curiosity getting the better of him. _Why do I want to see him? _Marth leaned over a little further. _I just want to know what he's thinking, that's all. _Hearing a door shut Marth bolted upright. _He was outside, did he see me? _His thoughts were cut off by a voice to his left.

"Evening Marth. Nice night isn't it?"

Marth turned to see his neighbour standing boldly on his own balcony grinning like a Cheshire cat. The man was wearing a matching set of pink pyjamas featuring a Jigglypuff in the centre. Marth briefly wondered what the puffball Pokémon thought of this, but decided that it probably didn't know what pyjamas were anyway.

"Good evening Captain Falcon." Marth replied, looking toward the sky. "Yes, it is a lovely night. The stars are truly beautiful."

"Indeed they are," Replied the Captain looking across at the Prince. "Are you not spending the night with your new boyfriend then?"

Marth was sure his heart had just stopped beating, flown to the top of his throat and exploded. He was not expecting a question like that. He hated the fact that he did not need to question as to whom Captain Falcon was referring to. Did they really give that impression? Or was the Captain really that stupid?

"Ike and I are NOT a couple. Nor will we ever be. I have no interest in that man whatsoever." Marth said firmly and clearly, making sure that Falcon would not make the same mistake again.

"I apologise Marth. I just thought he was your type. I've heard a lot about him and what he did for his country and fellow citizens. I remember how you described your ideal partner and he just seemed to fit, but that is just my opinion. I should not have made an assumption." Captain Falcon raised his head to look at the stars before adding, "He looked fairly interested in you though Marth."

Marth turned his head to look at the Captain so fast he could have snapped his neck. That last piece of information thoroughly shocked him.

"Well, goodnight Marth." The Captain said as he turned and walked back into his room feeling quite pleased with his conversational skills.

"…Goodnight Douglas." Marth muttered.

Ike looked interested? No, that was not interest, that was disgust, Marth was certain. Even if it was interest, Marth would not return the feeling, so there really was nothing to worry about. He left Falcon's words floating outside; sleep ought to calm the sound of a rapidly beating heart, especially when the owner chose to ignore it anyway.

Though Marth found it hard to sleep but not because of Captain Falcon's statement. Ideas of ways to take down the mercenary flooded his head, he needed pay back, he had been insulted far too much already and still needed to repay him for the damaged nose. He thought of Roy again and the pranks he would play, luckily, most brawlers had taken it all light-heartedly. He remembered the time Link came down for breakfast with bright green hair. Thankfully, Link found it hilarious, as did every other person there that morning. Marth wondered how Ike would react to loosing that luscious blue colour. He had to go to the village to post Roy's letter tomorrow anyway, perhaps picking out some dye would make the trip a little more enjoyable. Orange could be a good choice. Then it would only be a matter of convincing Toad to allow him the key to Ike's room, then sit back, and watch how the Crimean reacts.

Marth fell asleep thinking of all sorts of things he could do to his newest enemy. Oh the fun he was about to have.

* * *

_It's 5am, I'm wandering around the dark, empty corridors of the mansion, looking in every door that I pass. I have to find Marth, I just have to. The Prince has not left my mind and there is no way I can sleep now… at least not without seeing him. I've searched every room I can find, it's as if he has just disappeared. No! What if he has? What if I scared him off? No, no, no. That cannot be true. Marth wouldn't leave me... would he? I quicken my pace, almost running, I have to find him and tell him how I feel before it's too late. _

_I stop suddenly at the top of the stairs. There he is. At the bottom of the marble staircase stands the Prince that I have been searching for. The early morning sun is shining in behind the blue haired beauty, illuminating his crown. It looks to me as if it is some sort of guiding light. I'm starting to walk towards the young royal; his gaze is fixed to mine. Not even a Landmaster could force us apart now. _

_I reach Marth, stopping inches from him. I take a deep breath, my heart is beating rapidly, and I need to steady my breathing. Slowly lifting a hand, I gently brush my fingers through that beautiful silky blue hair. Marth leans into my hand, placing his own hands around my raised arm holding me steady. I'm shaking. _

"_I've been waiting for you." he says. _

_I just nod. Marth laughs softly, his voice echoing around the empty hall. I feel a little stupid now but my mind is blank, I cannot think of the right words to say to him. So I lift my other hand and softly run my fingers along his pale cheek, brushing a thumb across his soft, delicate looking lips. I want to taste them, they look delicious, mouth-watering, juicy and so, so tempting. I look into Marth's eyes. They are dazzling; they shine with so much radiance, even though the sun is rising behind him. I cannot help but look over the sensational sight before me. I have never felt like this before. Marth is the only person in the world right now. I can't wait any longer; I have to give in to temptation. I lean forward as Marth leans upwards, wrapping his arms round my neck as he does. _

_Our lips connect, fitting perfectly around each other. He tastes just as good as I expected, maybe better. That wonderful taste of vanilla is evident on his sweet little lips. I run my tongue along his bottom lip as we continue to kiss; I cannot get enough of that taste. I never want this moment to end, but unfortunately, I know it has to. _

_Marth pulls away removing his arms from my neck, he looks thoroughly pleased. He smiles at me as he draws his sword and plunges it deep into my now broken and bloodied heart._

"SHIT!" Ike sat up quickly, waking in a cold sweat. "What the hell was that?"

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**Next Time:  
Mario's words of wisdom  
Marth's plot  
The history of Roy  
And Peach lets something slip... :D**

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